chubb



33h t'Sh u. T. J. CHUBB. 68$ 88 Ore Separator.

No. 18,038. Patented Aug. 25, 1857..

AM. PHOTD-LITHQCQNX. (OSBURNE'S PROCESS) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. J. CHUBB.

Ore Separator.

N0.18,038. Patented Aug. 25, 1857.

AM. PHOTO-LlTHO-CO. MY. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS.)

n Q B h S g G h S 3 T. J. CHUBB.

Ore Separator.

Patented Aug. 25, 1857.

AM. PHOTU'LITHD.CO.N.Y. (USBDRNE'S PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. CHUBB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEPARATING ORES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,038, dated August 25, 1857; Reissued August To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. CHUBB, of the city of New York, in the county. and State of New York, have discovered and invented a new and useful Improvement in the Process of Separating Ores or Metallic Substances from Crushed Book, Earth, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my improvement consists in the application of air peculiarly applied in pufis or irregular currents up through a perforated table and through a layer of pulverized ore evenly spread on the said table. For the purpose of raising the ore off the table at each upward pufi (or stroke of the bellows) allowing it to subside again on the said table at each subsiding of the blast or puff (or at each downward stroke-of the bellows) the air thereby slightly agitates the different substances contained in the ore, floating the lightest of said substances to the top of the layer and causing or allowing the heaviest (or those substances of the greatest specific gravity) to subside to the bottom of the layer on the said perforated table or in regular stratified layers one below the other according to the greater density or specific gravity of the different substances contained in the ore or material being dressed. The

ore thus prepared in layers on the table is ready to be removed off the table by some other device such as scrapers or strips of metal so moved or arranged as to operate in (guide or move) the upper and lower strata or layers in different directions toward opposite ends or sides of the machine, thereby separating the layers (which are composed ofsubstances of different specific gravity), one from each other or causing them to leave the machine by separate channels or gates into separate receptacles.

The accompanying drawings represent a machine which embraces the principle of the invention, and although the machine is susceptible of considerable modification a full description of the example represented with reference to the drawing and some brief explanation of certain changes that may be made in its construction will serve to illustrate all the features of the invention.

Figure l is a perspective, Figs. 2, 2", 3 and 4 are side elevations.

D is a box or shell, Z g, Z 9 are strips of metal for removing the layer of ore, and a b are strips of metal for guiding or preventing the heavier substances from leaving the beds with the lighter substances, F is a fan, 6 is a bellows, S is the perforated table or bed made of wire cloth or its equivalent upon which the ore rests at each subsiding of the blast or puff of air, is is a valve in the air passage or channel H, m is a shelf.

The substance to be separated in the machine when not consisting of substances having the form of grains should be crushed, broken or otherwise divided into a granular state before being introduced to the machine and the operation will be more perfect if they be also sorted into sizes by sorting or otherwise, so that'all the particles of the substances introduced to the machine atone time may be as nearly as possible of a uniform size.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The hopper or top being continuously supplied with the substances to be sorted or separated and the machine set in motion, the substances are swept off the shelf (m) by the scrapers Z, g, and fall on the perforated table (S) upon which they are spread by the scrapers and agitated by the upward blast of air from the bellows t and by the latter means are separated in layers according to their specific gravity, the heavier substance or substances settling down in a layer upon the perforated table and will be retained in the divisions or channels a, I), while the lighter particles are caused to float to the top or upper layer and are acted upon by the lower half of the scrapers and are thereby scraped off the bed S, and-off the machine, escaping through the gates (g) and if the machine or the perforated table should not be perfectly level or horizontal,

but inclined a little, then the heaviest substances will be induced to follow the incline downward by the simple action of the air and gravitation, and the machine may be so arranged as to draw all the heavy particles off at one end while the lightest particles are drawn oif at the upper end of the incline plane by the action of the scrapers, or there may be two sets of chains or belts of scrapers one within the other or the lower half of one not to choke the machine or prevent the proper action of the air.

The above are a few of the devices for removing the layers off the perforated table, but as the greatest difliculty is in properly forming the layers great care should be taken to have the ore spread evenly all over the table in a thin layer, for example, finely pulverized ore must not be over one half an inch in the thickness or height of the layer; otherwise the force of the air required to raise the weight of the material if in too thick a layer would blow the metal up in places and project the whole material too high and in such a manner as it Would fall again in a mixed or unseparated state, but on the contrary if the-layer is spread in a proper thickness varied according to the size of the grains or crystals of the ore the finer the grains the thinner must needs be the layer and the blast so regulated as to produce only a slight movement or agitation, just sufiicient force to raise the whole layer up off the table to 9 of an inch or just quantity of air enough to float the lightest substances to the top of the layer. I will remark that this operation difiers entirely from the operation of screening as the separation is effected all on one side of the perforated or reticulated table or bed. Neither is the said bed to be shaken like a sieve or screen for that purpose. Nor is it to be shaken for the purpose of causing an agitation of the substances that the heaviest or those which are most dense or of the greatest specific gravity might settle to the bottom of the layer. It is simply to constitute a resting place for the substances to be separated while being acted upon by the air and the scrapers. I will also remark that the specific purpose for which the air is applied in this machine is quite diiferent from the well known winnowing machines wherein the wind separates and removes the diiferent substances or the substances of the lightest specific gravity entirely away ofi the sieve and into separate receptacles, thereby completing an imperfect separation at one operation and by the sole action of the air; but I would have it distinctly understood that in this machine the'air is applied and'used for the simple specific purpose only of causing the layer of substances to rise and fall perpendicularly or nearly perpendicular on a table or supporting bed which needs be perforated to admit of the air passing up through it and under the ore raising and disintegrating it that the heaviest sub-' stances therein may fall faster than the lightest by means of their greater specific gravity to the bottom of the layer on the said bed or resting place from'which they were raised by said blast of air, thus preparing the ore that it may be separated by and removed off the bed by a distinctly separate and mechanical device.

Having thus described my improved mode of separating ore, I do not claim the broad process of agitating substances in a receptacle for the purpose of causing the heaviest to settle to the bottom thereof irrespective of the means herein specified and described. Nor do I claim separating substances of different specific gravity by a current of air applied on the old and well known winnowing process. Neither do I confine my improvement to any specific arrangement of mechanism; but

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Effecting a separation of a thin layer of finely pulverized ore into layers or strata of difierent specific gravity upon a perforated bed, or-its equivalent-,by means of applying light minute puffs of air up through the interstices of the said bed and through a thin layer of ore evenly spread and resting thereon as herein described for the purpose of very gently agitating the said layer of ore and floating the lightest substances there in to the top thereof and allowing the heaviest substances therein to gravitate to the bottom of the said layer on the said bed.

THOS. J. GHUBB.

Signed in presence of THOMAS MULLEN, JAMES C. STEWART.

[Fmsr PRlNTED 1912.] 

